r/pancreatitis

Hello i (40M) just got out of ER yesterday. Sunday night had intense pain in lower right back, pain was off and on for 2 weeks but dull/ache thought maybe I pulled a muscle. Decided to sleep it off Sunday night (can't afford ER was going to go to urgent care Monday morning) Monday I woke up and pain was pretty much gone, very slight ache. I went to work at 3pm, by 8pm I was texting people trying to get someone to cover my shift, I could barely walk, had stabbing pain. About 9:15 someone showed up to relieve me and I drove myself to the ER.

At the ER for 7 hours, getting blood tests/urine tests done then put in the waiting room, about 2 hours later got a CT scan with contrast and then put back into the waiting room. I originally thought I had a kidney stone or appendicitis just based on googling.

I was finally brought into an actual room around 3:30am. They gave me toradol and IV hydration. Around 4:15am they did an ultrasound, then the Dr. Finally saw me about 4:45am and told me my lipase was high (250) and that I had acute pancreatitis, she questioned me pretty heavily about my drinking habits and any binge drinking lately.

I have maybe 2 beers a week after work with a coworker. Other than that I dont really drink except on rare occasions like birthday party or something but even then I usually only have maybe 2 tall cans. I honestly hate getting drunk so I never do.

The Dr. Kept pressing about alcohol but I was honest and told her I dont really drink, except for maybe 2 corona a week usually on Sunday nights after work. The Dr. Told me she was going to discharge me, and that I need to be on a liquid diet for the next 4 days minimum and that if the pain didn't start to get better during that 4 days that I needed to come back and I would be checked in and put on TPN to give my pancreas a complete rest.

**im on liquid only diet for 4 days, how the heck do I get enough calories with only a liquid diet without stressing out my pancreas and ending up back in ER? I currently have been drinking water, orange juice, chicken broth, and a 30g protein shake split up into 2 portions for lunch and dinner. IM SO HUNGRY I keep wanting to just go get some chicken or tuna or something solid. Is upping it to 2 protein shakes a day going to effect my pancreas?

How do you typically carry your Creon when you leave the house and may end up stopping somewhere for food?

I used to smoke daily to much I would say I want to start again but I'm worried because I had mild acute pancreatitis with no known cause a few months I tried smoking twice since then it just made my stomach feel weird but I was fine i tried a joint a few months before I tried a hit from my THC pen I have multiple THC disposable and cartridges I want to start smoking again I fully healed from pancreatitis since then (I think it took only like 2 days till I got released from the hospital) it's not because of pain or anything I wanna still smoke it helped me relax and stay calm I have OCD and ADHD it helped for that a lot and I want to smoke again

42F, Crohn’s disease, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. Had an ERCP on April 27 and ended up in ER that night with acute pancreatitis. Was in the hospital for 10 days and just discharged yesterday. Pretty sure this hospital stay has broken me. I have two young children however I am also divorced. I didn’t want to scare my kids by having them visit me in the hospital (I was in the hospital for several days a year ago for kidney stones and my kids visited me and my ex said how my daughter so upset with me being in the hospital). I did see my kids at the very end of my stay and I cried so much. Other than that, I had no one visit me in the hospital. I didn’t talk to anyone else aside from the nurses. Granted, the first half of the stay I was in a lot of pain and just trying to sleep.

I feel like I’ve lost two weeks of my life and of my kids lives. I am crying at the drop of a pin. And I’m scared of having my next ERCP and the same thing happening again.

Yes, I already deal with depression and am on Cymbalta for it. I just feel broken and lost.

I’m a 21 year old female, diagnosed with acute pancreatitis about a month ago, doctors don’t seem to know what caused it but i’ve been following the diet and it’s been getting better. However, i just started my menstrual cycle and noticed that the pain is coming back, when i was diagnosed a month ago i was also on my menstrual cycle. Has anyone else experienced this or is it just an unfortunate coincidence?

I am currently recovering from a flare, going on 3 months now. And I miss eating butter, cheese, full-fat yogurt.

I miss a good old grilled cheese so bad. 😭

How do you guys cope with the cravings?

Has anyone gone chronic after one attack?

I have had one gallstone acute pancreatitis attack and gallbladder removed.

Six weeks later still in pain when I eat even plain low fat foods.

Have low lipase

Super worried!

Have had CT scan all good

Should I ask doc for an MRI

Waiting to get appointment with GI doc

Hey,
I’m 21 years old and about a month ago I was diagnosed with “alcohol-induced pancreatitis.”
The doctors told me that I’m not allowed to drink alcohol anymore — ideally for the rest of my life.

Since I used to drink a lot and genuinely enjoyed it, especially when going out with friends, this completely pulled the ground out from under me. I feel kind of empty and honestly don’t know what to do.

How do you deal with it? Do you still drink alcohol anyway? And if not, what helped make it easier to accept that you can’t drink anymore?

I have had two pancreatitis episodes that I know of. The first time was almost 8 years ago when I spent four days in the hospital. At that time my lipase number was approximately 56,000. I followed up with my primary care doctor and nothing was done. I didn’t make any changes to my diet I never really got an answer what caused the initial symptoms.

This Easter I went to the emergency room because it felt similar to my last time with pancreatitis just not as painful. My lipase number was 470. When I followed up with my doctor this time I was referred to a GI doctor who prescribed Creon and has scheduled me to have an ERCP.

Is there a chance that I can return to a normal life after the ERCP or is this just a condition I’m going to have to live with for the rest of my life? I have been eating a low fat diet avoiding anything that isn’t good, but it really stinks not eating anything that I enjoyed previously.

Question for group: How long from diagnosis until death, stage at diagnosis? For me, stage IV, 4 months post diagnosis.

I’m 73, was in good health, though noticed drop off of muscle mass and stamina as I got over 70.Received diagnosis on birthday 1/9, Pancan and cancer moving into liver, lower lung , and a bronchial tube. Non-operable,stage IV, outcome pretty clear. Did two rounds of chem and elected to go hospice over treatment, quality of life consideration led me to hospice. So four areas of cancer, have survived four months after diagnosis.
Thanks,

Hello,

I'm 31yo male with chronic pancreatitis waiting for a TIPAT/ islet cell transplant.

I am currently on 60mg of hydromorphone. 10mg x6 doses.

Is this considered a high dose? I've seen other people around 200mg a day for different pain.

Thanks for feedback.

Hello everyone. Just looking for some advice and tips maybe. My story is a bit long so please bear with me. 2 weeks ago I had my top teeth extracted due to acid reflux, childhood neglect, sugary food etc... I was prescribed 600mg ibuprofen and Tylenol with codeine. I was taking about 2 of the ibuprofen every 24 hours or so for about 8 days and the Tylenol as needed.

The day before yesterday I was in some pain from the extractions so I took 2 Tylenol with codeine and ate 2 slices of dominos pizza an hour later. 20 minutes after eating, it hit me. Incredible pain in my mid sternum and upper back. Wife calls ambulance and we go to the ER. I previously drank alcohol regularly but was never an alcoholic by any means. I definitely smoked for many years and my diet has been shitty my entire life. I'm not overweight whatsoever and am pretty active.

Get to the ER and they immediately do a CT scan with contrast, ultrasound and labs. My lipase level was at 500 and a test of my liver came back just slightly above normal. All my organs looked fine, blood work was fine except triglycerides were at 177. I was discharged yesterday and told to advance my diet as well as I could. I am scared shitless now to eat. I've eaten jello, Lipton soup, Greek yogurt and mashed potatoes. Doc also said I can continue taking the Tylenol with codeine for pain but said no more ibuprofen and basically never drink again.

Any tips, advice, or well wishes would be greatly appreciated. Thank you guys and God bless🙏

Im so sorry i’ve been posting a lot recently, I just feel so lost with myself; So I am now on day 2 of sobriety (for like the 5th time in 3 years) I’ve taken the recommended medications to taper off safely from Alcohol. I’ve been in pain (around the typical pancreas areas) and having panic attacks / racing heartbeat all day. All I can think about is two things: I’m scared, how did I let this happen again, I need to stay sober, To instantly thinking maybe one more day, the pain isn’t that bad, I just have to wait for these symptoms /medication to reside, they aren’t as bad as they were last time (but I’m not even sure of that or if i’m trying to downplay my symptoms). I know Rehab is an option, but i can’t help but panic completely at the thought because of things such as my partner works FIFO, no one else can look after our dog when he’s away as she is reactive, apart from one person who also works long hours and is very unreliable even when he has nothing going on. Let alone the fact that i’ll be essentially imprisoned for 3 months, working towards basic rights such as leaving the house etc.)

I need to vent, and I'm on drugs. I got a shot in my butt at the doctor's today, and she said it would make me sleepy. However, I cannot sleep until I get this off my chest.

My "healthcare" experience has been so frustrating. Sometimes it's the people, but most of the time it's obvious that there is a deep-rooted issue with this money-hungry excuse for healthcare.

I'm willing to share my healthcare data because others could learn from my experience.

My first stop at a new primary care San Marcos Family Medicine was pleasant and helpful. Vip Mangalick was great. I scheduled this appointment weeks ago, and was sick on the day of the appointment. He answered the biggest concern I had at the moment, "Should I go to the ER?"

He was direct with his response and what to expect from him. Tests could take weeks on his end, and he thought it was better that I go to the Emergency Room if I needed immediate medical attention (IV fluids). Not only did he address my biggest concern, but he also addressed helpful primary care needs. 10/10

Going to the ER is a big deal for me. I never think I'm worthy or in enough pain to go to the ER. Plus - it's a big, huge, unfair, astronomical, ugly BILL. The prices feel like a scam. However, both my primary care doctor and my Wife thought the Emergency Room was the best solution.

By this point, I'm fairly weak and dizzy, and I just need to get to the closest ER. Ascension Seton Hays was only 20 minutes away. Terrible place. I'm fairly certain that the woman and I at check-in did not speak a word. There was a slip of paper to fill out and a small line for "reason for visit". Oh, she did speak to me! "ID and insurance" and nothing else.

Got to the back in less than 20 minutes. The nurse was nice, but the doctor was terrible. He was clearly just trying to pump people in and out of the ER. Dr. Matthew Fan, MD, walked into the room, stating, "It looks like this is a common case of gastritis; you'll be out of here in no time". This immediately rubbed me the wrong way, but I shook it off like a duck and told him my situation. I'm in pain, I can't eat or drink, I can't sleep because of this, and both my wife and doctor advised me to come to the ER.

Next steps were a blood test and an IV with Zofran for nausea. Zofran has been a miracle for me in the past, so I was hopeful for some relief. Then they sat me in a "results pending room" which was 6 chairs numbered for the staff to identify the patients.

This is the moment I started to feel that something was really wrong. The Zofran wasn't helping me, and the chair was getting more uncomfortable; the pain was moving from my stomach to my back. I needed to do something to distract myself, so I read all the literature on the wall.

I discovered that I could see my test results online, and my blood test was ready. I was disturbed to discover some findings:

ALT: 688 (normal range: 10-60)
AST: 277 (normal range: 5-34)

My liver enzymes are out of control - yikes.

Enter my wonderful, supportive, and amazing wife, Ericka. I screenshot the test results and sent them to her. She immediately leaves work, and she is repeatedly texting me, "Do NOT let them discharge you, something is wrong".

As she's frantically texting me to advocate for myself, a nurse calls my chair number for discharge. He told me to CARRY MY IV (which I thought was outrageous) to the discharge room.

Dr. Matthew Fan enters and says that I have gastritis and he will prescribe me Zofran.

I'm trying to make a point. "The Zofran isn't working, and this has never happened in the past."

Dr. Matthew Fan suggests over-the-counter medication.

Trying to further my point. "I've already taken some today and last night, and the pain kept me up all night."

Dr. Matthew Fan asks if the liquid medication he gave me worked.

I am confused. "What liquid medication?"

Dr. Matthew Fan insists he gave me liquid medication, and it should numb me. Proceeds with discharge information.

I'm splitting my focus between my Wife's texts telling me to stay and the doctor telling me that I'm leaving. I just blurted out, "My wife said not to leave because of my liver enzymes!"

Dr. Matthew Fan tells me to call my Wife, and I do. He explains that I just need to eat healthier and quit drinking, and there's nothing he can do for me. My wonderful Wife is in her s3xy (loud) truck, probably couldn't hear a thing. It was a mess. I had to hang up.

I'm pleading at this moment, "Zofran has always helped me in rare instances in the past, and this isn't helping. Can you at least give me something for the pain?" (btw- I have only asked this question to a doctor ONCE in my life)

Dr. Matthew Fan then says, "I can't help you", turns around, and walks out the door. I assumed I was done with my care and followed towards the only to have Dr. Matthew Fan SLAMS THE DOOR IN MY FACE! Then he reopens the door and said, "The nurse is going to take out your IV, follow up with your primary care doctor".

Then the nurse gave me the liquid medicine that Dr. Matthew Fan said he had administered (but did not). The "medicine" made me sicker. It numbed my throat my burned my stomach, and shot pain through my back. I could hardly drive home.

I'm frustrated. My primary care doctor told me to go to the Emergency Room, and the Emergency Room told me to go to my primary care doctor. Both of them got paid; I feel sicker.

My incredible wife agreed to take me to yet another ER. I'm in no shape to drive at this point. We decided to try St. David's HealthCare South Austin Emergency Center. I think it was Megan Carter who helped me. She listened to me, she looked at the labs from Seton, and she ordered labs for me.

I could tell from my interaction with Megan that I was not the only person who was dismissed from Ascension Seton and sought care at St.David's. Megan was concerned that my liver enzymes had increased since seeing Dr. Matthew Fan a few hours earlier. Megan was also confused that Dr. Matthew Fan did not test for Lipase if my liver enzymes were 10X normal.

Before we even got the results for the Lipase test, Megan said she was going to give me medicine for the pain. I did not even ask; she just prescribed. This was completely different from begging Dr. Matthew Fan for anything to help with the pain. He should have shown mercy with his pain meds because my Lipase test revealed 3X normal levels - pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis is considered one of the most severe and intense pains a human can experience. I'm furious that Dr. Matthew Fan couldn't give me anything for the pain, especially as it was my first visit to his facility.

I tried to talk about this in short detail but it became a fucking novel, I was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis 71 days ago due to heavy, hard alcohol use (700ml vodka every night), i relapsed 7 days ago, pains have gotten worse, but also at times they don’t hurt in the mid section area but feel hard, i’ve looked it up i know that’s bad, i cannot get myself out of it. I logically know what is happening is bad, but I can’t even get myself to a doctor. I don’t want to be hospitalised. without being nasty can anyone help or did anyone go through something similair and what was your wake up call? i thought mine was acute pancreatitis but i’ve now noticed something scary can happen, but it fades very quickly for me and i go back into a ‘fuck it what’s the worst that could happen’ but i know what the worst is and how possible it could happen yet i’m still not getting it????????? like im stuck between knowing what’s wrong and what could happen but deep down i keep getting a gut feeling of surely not and it’s just not fucking sticking??

Just wanted to give everyone an update! I chose UNC Chapel Hill, Dr. Desai for my TPIAT. I went into surgery Tuesday 5/5/26 morning at about 8:00 AM and it lasted about 15 hours. They removed the pancreas, gall bladder, appendix, spleen and duodenum. They then transplanted islet cells into my liver. I woke up around 3 AM on Wednesday but couldn’t get the breathing tube removed until 8 AM. After I was extubated I immediately started feeling better. Recovery will take about a year and be a long road but im already getting stronger and feeling better every day! Thank you all for the prayers and love, please keep them coming!

Today 05/10 I was transferred out of the ICU to the step down floor. I’m now eating a full diet, no more than 30 g of carbs per meal. I was on insulin prior to surgery so expecting to remain on at least a little, even if the islet cells work.

Overall I’m doing SO good! Every day is getting better and I know I make the right choice. Feel free to ask any questions y’all may have!
Pics in comments

I was first admitted to the hospital towards the end of January this year, originally for suspected gallstones which were confirmed by an ultrasound scan. Unfortunately, during my hospital stay, as I was about ready to be discharged, this developed into a pancreatitis attack; undoubtedly the most excruciating pain I've ever experienced. I remember thinking I was going to die as I lay there screaming and pleading for doctors to help me.

The pancreatitis attack was confirmed by the emergency CT scan that I was taken in for. I don't remember what my lipase levels were, but I do remember my white blood cell count being >45,000.

I was released from hospital a few days later, which in hindsight I think was quite negligent by the consultant, as I had not had an intermittent CT scan following the pancreatitis attack to assess how much damage had been done. I was at home for a week, clearly still suffering. I could barely keep food down and remained in a lot of pain. I was re-admitted to the hospital by a different consultant during a follow-up appointment where he could tell I was still unwell.

Sadly, I remained in hospital for a further 2 and a half months, including 2 and a half weeks in ICU. I ended up in ICU because a CT scan found I had two 10cm pseudocysts, one at the head of my pancreas, and one at the tail, but we had to wait until the collections became hardened so that they could be drained. It took nearly a month for them to be ready to be drained, but during this time my lungs had filled with fluid, and one of the pseudocysts was pushing all of my organs upwards. I ended up becoming very breathless, and my SpO2 had began to dip into the lower 90s. At this point the procedure to drain the pseudocysts became an emergency. I was anaesthetised and had a stent placed, and then I was intubated for 2 days.

Fast forward to now - my hospital discharge letter confirms necrotising acute pancreatitis. During my hospital stay I lost 60lbs in total in 3 months. I'm clearly much weaker than when I went in and have lost a lot of muscle mass, and I'm still dealing with symptoms nearly 4 months out from my attack. My resting heartrate has gone from 65-75 to 100-110, but my main issue is I am having constant lower abdominal pain, that seems to radiate from the centre. I'm concerned as of course this isn't where the pancreas is located, but I've also heard it could be deferred pain. It seems to come in waves, but when it's present I can barely walk and have to lean over forwards to alleviate some of the pain. Has anyone else experienced this/know what it could be? Is this just a part of recovery? I know my case was quite severe, but surely after 4 months symptoms should have cleared up by now...

Im a 29m who had their first acute Pancreatitis attack after a heavy week of drinking alcohol. It was a mild attack and I was told to just not drink alcohol ever again and id live a perfectly healthy life. For reference I live in Ireland which has a big drinking culture. This news was like the end of the world for me. I was in hospital for a week.

2 months on and ive never felt better. It turns out you dont need alcohol to enjoy yourself. Im sleeping better, eating better, maintaining relationships better and overall just a more positive person.

The killer is there is apart of me who just craves a pint of Guinness or a beer. I went for a check up this week and they told me to proceed with caution and they didnt rule out not drinking again but that i can potentially drink moderately on special occasions. Even though they recommend to still not drink. Im going to stay off it for a year and then I can decide myself what to do.

Just looking for advice if anyone had a similar experience?

Overall I just want to say that it gets easier as the weeks go on and maybe this was a blessing in disguise. Even though their is still a devil on my shoulder wanting to drink again.

Edit - I just want to thank everyone for their lovely and insightful comments. Its a wonderful community this subreddit is. I am going to set a goal of being sober for 1 year and maybe I'll see then if I want to enjoy a drink every now and then. Ive been out with my friends in pubs and just been drinking coffee or blackcurrant. I've come to the realisation that I dont need alcohol to enjoy myself and friends have even mentioned how they are proud of me and that you wouldn't notice i wasnt drinking. I think I just wanted some reassurance from you guys. Appreciate the support and advice !

Hi

I have been having attacks of what I thought was horrendous wind for months. I went to hospital twice with it this year - was told it was probably gastritis and sent on my way. Thankfully those times resolved within a day. However; my most recent attack went on for nearly a week before I went to hospital. I was trying to manage it and pray it went away because I felt hospital was a waste of time. However, this time they actually tested my lipase, which came out as over 9000. I was put on IV fluids and painkillers. Had CT scan which didn’t show much. They want to an MRI of the ducts but haven’t been able to over the weekend. My lipase levels came down to around 450 & so I have came home because being in hospital was miserable. I’m still in pain but beyond more overload of IV fluids, there wasn’t anything that can be done. My liver blood tests are also still a mess, in addition to low calcium & magnesium level seems to be dropping as well. Anyway, I thought the MRI would be quickly, as in tomorrow. But when I left I asked, and they said I’d get a letter? Is this normal? They believe it was caused by a gallstone blocking ducts, I have had no previous history of gallbladder issues. Will gallbladder removal be an option? I’m mid 30s, don’t drink. I don’t want to keep getting these random attacks. Thank you.

My partner went to hospital with stomach discomfort. He wasn’t able to eat without feeling uncomfortable for about a week. A CT scan showed two masses. One 2.5 cm mass by the pancreatic duct and another ill formed one that is larger (albeit not by much). Internal medicine doctor said ‘likely c’.

They then ran a CT of his chest and tested him for the CA-19-9 marker. Normal results.

He hasn’t lost any weight, CA-19-9 scan showed normal levels and second CT scan of chest showed no spread to other organs. He has had bouts of pancreatitis in the past (including one that developed when he was in hospital awaiting his tests). No date scheduled for biopsy yet.

I’m spiraling. Really hoping it’s related to his pancreatitis and not c. Anyone have any good news stories to share about it not turning out to be c or defying the odds, if it was c? I need some hope because everything I read or hear is dire